Inner Thoughts
by Almeida24T
Summary: One shot only. During season 2 when Jack was flying that plane and saying goodbye to Kim. This is the thoughts of Jack, Kim, Tony, and George. Please Read and Review.


Inner Thoughts

Author's Note: The dialogue between Kim and Jack was taken word for word from the episode in which it aired. It is necessary for the setup of the story, so please don't think I am just writing down the episode, thanks. Please review, I need to know what you all think, thanks.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the rights to the show 24, and if I did you better believe I wouldn't be sitting here fantasizing and writing fan fiction about it. Do not own characters, plots, beautiful actors etc etc. So, without further ado, I present to you, Inner Thoughts.

Kim Bauer was sitting in a woman's car. She didn't know the lady, but she was nice enough to reach out to a stranger in need. Kim was using her cell phone to speak with her father. Jack Bauer was presently on an airplane that was flying to the desert to make sure a nuclear bomb was dropped in a safe location to detonate.

"We found the bomb. It was wired in a way that made it impossible to diffuse it. We needed someone to fly it over the desert so when the bomb exploded no one would get killed." Jack paused hating to have to tell her that he was going to die in twenty minutes. "That someone turned out to be me." Jack finished awaiting her response. Kim was speechless trying to piece this information together in her head.

"Whe - How are you getting off the plane?" She asked dreading the answer that awaited her. Jack knew the question was coming, but it didn't expect him to sting as much as it had.

"I'm not sweetheart." Kim's chest tightened and tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "The bomb has to be dropped in a very specific area, there was no other choice. I'm sorry." Jack finished. By the time he had completed his sentence, tears were openly flowing down his daughter's face. She was in denial. _No, he didn't just say that. No, something isn't right, _she frantically told herself.

"But, dad, dad no! You can't do this to me." She said her voice panicked. Her eyes were fluttering all around her surroundings.

"Kim."

"There has to be someone else, you -" She interrupted, but her father cut her off, just as she had done to him seconds before.

"Kim, I'm sorry." Jack said with the upmost sincerity and care in his voice. The last thing in the world he wanted was to loose his daughter.

"You can't do this to me daddy, NO!" She cried out, her heart in agony and her mind in a thousand different places.

"Kim, I need you to listen to me." Jack said. He needed to make her understand. He wouldn't be able to rest in peace if he didn't make it right.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She said crying in hysterics. Jack was surprised that she was apologizing, and she could hear it in his tone.

"Sweetheart, what do you have to be sorry for?"

"Oh god, I've been so mean, and so bad to you." Kim said recalling just that morning pushing him away, and telling him it was too soon. _If only I would have realized that he wasn't the reason for my pain. Maybe this wouldn't be happening right now. If I hadn't pushed him away, then maybe._

"Honey, anything that ever happened between us, it was never your fault. I love you just the way you are, I don't ever want you to change, do you understand that? I love you more than anything in the world." Jack said almost reading her thoughts. It was true also, he really did love her more than anything. That's part of the reason he was flying the plane in the first place. Kim raised her hand and put it on her chest to try and steady her breathing, but it only made her cry harder. "Kim, can you still hear me?" He asked tenderly.

"I - yes." She said in short punctuated breaths.

"Honey, I want you to live your life. I want you to be happy, that's all I ever wanted for you. I want you to try and grow up and be the person that would have made your mom proud. OK?" Jack said. Kim couldn't believe her ears. The only thing she could manage to mutter was a cry of her pain into two simple yet burning words.

"Oh god." She bawled.

"Promise me that." Jack said forcefully. Kim hesitated before answering.

"I promise."

"Honey, I've got to start focusing on what I'm doing up here, I'm running out of time, ok, so, uh, I'm gonna have to say goodbye." He paused and found a way to bring strength into his voice. "I love you more than anything in the world, and I will always be with you, ok, remember that." Jack said beginning to falter in the steadiness of his voice. Kim finally realized that this was going to be the last time she would ever talk to her father.

"I'm proud of you, and I love you." She said, tears still emanating from her lids, and her red infested eyes. Jack took one final breath and muttered words that would haunt her forever.

"I love you too sweetheart." He waited a second, and gently whispered, "Bye." And with that their phone connection was closed.

_Oh god. How did this happen? Why does it have to be my dad? I haven't shown him how much he means to me. What am I going to do without him. It's not fair. There has to have been someone else to fly that plane. Nothing could be worse than this moment right now. I hate him so much for leaving me like this. Why couldn't he have had a normal job, why something that was going to rip him away from me forever? Ok, Kim, calm down. Get a grip, what would he want me to do right now. He'd want me to understand. I know he is doing this to save my life, and everyone else's. But why at such a heavy price? I don't want to be here if I have no one that I love. He is my only rock left and now he's gone. _Kim thought rapidly in about 2 seconds.

She was still in great shock. A million more thoughts were racing through her mind faster than the speed of sound. She suddenly felt a very strong feeling of vomit racing up her esophagus, but she pushed it back down. She couldn't hear outside noises, just her occasional yelp of helplessness. The woman who's phone she was using was staring at her sympathetically, even though Kim was sure she had no idea what she was going through. Kim appreciated the woman's generosity, but was way to rattled and heartbroken to show politeness. Tears still flowed freely from Kims eyes.

_What did I do to deserve this? God, what did I do? Whatever it was I take it back, please, don't take him from me like this. Please. I'll do anything, it's not fair, why him. Why my dad who has been working all his life to save others and not himself. Please, don't rip him away from me like this. _Kim said in her mind to God. _If there is a God._ She thought after a moment of silence. Her mind was jumbled. She couldn't separate real thoughts from pleas of forgiveness to bring her father back. They were all the same anyway. Kim sat in the car confused and shocked. Last year when her mom was killed, by the person her father had a fling with, she thought that she would never live again. Now that her dad was gone too, she had lost all hope of being happy ever again.

The woman who was driving the car stopped. She was saying something, but Kim didn't really care. She needed to be alone. Once she was out of the car, she walked down the road still in shock. When she was about 1/4 mile away, she stopped, feeling very lightheaded. _What am I going to do?_ She thought. Her breath caught in her throat, and she fell to the ground un conscience.

"Bye." And with that their phone connection was closed. Jack sat behind the wheel of the plane steadying his vision. It was clouded with tears, and his chest was tight. His heart hurt like it had never hurt before. He had accepted the fact that he was going to die in minutes, and he knew that there was a good reason it was happening, but what he didn't know was how Kim was going to make it through the rest of her life.

_I am going to miss so many things in her life. I hope she can forgive me. Her wedding, who is going to give her away? My grandchildren, who'll rock them to sleep and play ring around the rosie with them? That was supposed to be my job. I hope that she will be able to move on. I'm doing this for her, if I don't do this tonight, she'll die with everyone else. I'm protecting her. I wish I had told her that._ Jack reached up, and began speaking to the operator.

"This is Jack Bauer, I need to speak with Tony Almeida at CTU immediately." Jack said into the headset microphone. A few seconds later, Tony's voice was heard of the other end.

"Jack, it's Tony." Tony said, wondering if there was a problem.

"Tony, I spoke with Kim a few minutes ago, and she was pretty upset. I need you to find her Tony." Jack said doing everything he could for her in his last few minutes.

"Jack, we're looking for her. We're going to find her. You have my word." Tony said. Jack nodded his head, even though no one could see it.

"Thank you Tony." Jack said.

"Jack, hang on a second." Tony said taking the phone and walking down the hallway, so no one could hear. "Jack, I'm sorry." Tony said trying to maintain calmness.

"Tony, there's nothing that can be done. There's no reason for you to be sorry." Jack said very appreciative of how concerned he was.

"No, I'm sorry that I got you in to all this. I called you this morning, and convinced you to stay. I just want you to know that I will do everything in my power to find Kim, and keep her safe, and not just today, but always." Tony said pledging a promise on a friend. Jack's heart lightened, and he managed to fester a smile.

"Thank you Tony. Thank you." Jack said.

"Yeah." Tony said, and a second later, the connection was closed.

_She's going to be ok. Kim's going to be alright. Thank you Tony, you have no idea how much gratitude I have for what you've just said, and how much I admire you for it. Thank you for taking care of my little girl. I feel a little bit better about the circumstance now. Everything's going to be alright._ Jack thought to himself with a smile on his face.

_I've done everything I can. You're going to help Kim, you're doing the right thing. You owe it to Jack for bringing him into this. This is the least you could do. Take care of his daughter, and he'll take care of the country._ Tony thought as he rounded the corner. The phone was in his hand. His face was solemn, and slightly scared, but he knew there was nothing else he could do right then. Make sure Kim was found, and give her what was in the safe at the house, and set her up.

"Michelle. How are we doing on finding Kim Bauer?" Tony asked knowing the sooner she was found the better.

"We traced the phone she was using, and it came to these coordinates." Michelle said handing him a piece of paper. Tony looked at it slightly confused.

"That's practically in the woods." He said half to himself and half to Michelle.

"Yeah. Who should we send?" She asked. Tony sighed, the people he would have normally sent were killed in the bombing of CTU earlier that morning.

"Send Teres. Make sure he has information about Jack and the situation, so she knows he's one of us." Tony said. Michelle nodded and was on it right away. Tony began walking back up to his office.

_Everything's going to be alright. You're a part of that, feel proud. You're saving your friends daughter, while he's saving the country. You're doing a good thing. _He thought sitting in his chair.

"Bye." And with that their phone connection was closed. George Mason listened to this conversation between Jack and Kim, and knew that he had done the right thing. _It's fate, I was meant to die today, not Jack. Him and his daughter are close, me and my son are not. I've tied up all my loose ends. Going to Bakersfield today to get out of the blast radius was fate. I am the one who has to bring this plane down. It's me, and not Jack. I've got to save his life. _George thought with a smile, proud of himself that he was doing the right thing. He had always had the countries best interests at heart, except for this morning, so if he was going to go down anyway, why let an innocent man die, when he is going to die anyway.

_Alright, how am I going to do this. I'll make it known that I am here when he will have no choice to say no. When the timer says 5 minutes, that's when I'll go. He'll have to bail within a minute. Good. Oh no, I feel a cough coming, no don't cough. Please don't cough._ George thought as he began hacking away into a handkerchief.


End file.
